Wednesday, May 07, 2008 - 09:22 PM

Great enthusiasm was shown by many teams vying for a coveted slot in the Saab Salomon Mountain-X Race in France this summer.

During racecourse design for April 12th’s Salomon Giant’s Rib Raid, the Golden Horseshoe Orienteering (GHO) squad was up to their knees in fluffy snow. However, after a week of warmer temperatures and rain, the Hilton Falls landscape transformed into a swelling mass of water and rock.

A record number of participants (almost 200) took on RACE#2 in the Salomon Adventure Running Series which doubled as EVENT#1 of 2 for teams vying for a coveted slot in the Saab Salomon Mountain-X Race in France this summer. Rocky Ridge Camp was the host site for this highly anticipated event and as the teams gathered for the start of the race under the giant Saab Salomon archway, it was easy to feel the energy going hand in hand with the start of another racing season in Ontario.

Among the 60+ threesomes toeing the start line were a host of renowned Canadian adventure racers and orienteering superstars. In the MALE category, teams GHO Runners, Foreigners, and Urban Athlete have all taken home top honours in several endurance events in North America and Europe. This race was slated to be a special one for Bob Miller of Team Urban Athlete in particular, as his long and arduous recovery from a broken femur continues. Backed up by teammates Scott Ford and Bill Wells, this team is hungry to race in France.

On the COED side, the top 5 was wide open with several experienced teams in the mix. Flanked by Liza Pye of Team Simon River Sports fame and Andrew Cameron of Team Salomon-Suunto, crack navigator Chris Pillar formed a new team, Salomon XT Wings. They were in tough against teams Axis Gear, Milton Basement Racers, Beowulf, and Running Free, all of whom have several GHO events to their credit.

Due to the competitive nature of the events they organize, GHO uses an electronic SportIdent timing system whereby each team has a ‘key’ to be placed into each checkpoint (CP) box. Upon doing so, the box ‘beeps’ and an electronic fingerprint is added to the ‘key’, proving that a team has been there. At the finish line, an instantaneous result is available including splits between CPs – very slick!

The 25 km racecourse was the flattest edition of the Salomon Giant’s Rib Raid to date. But what was lost in elevation, was gained back by constant map and compass challenge and the incredibly rocky terrain of the Niagara Escarpment. In addition to the testy landscape, racers had to contend with the creativity of the GHO course designers. GHO events are never a straight forward run in the woods, they continually think up new orienteering challenges to keep racers on their toes. This year’s event featured:
• Come ‘n’ gO – Two sets of CP clusters that could be hit in any order at any time. This made for some interesting race strategies;
• Lass-O – A circle of six, closely spaced CPs, only 3 of which had electronic punches. Miss one and you’ve got to retrace your steps to find the live CPs;
• I.O.U. (In Out Under) – Finding a CP in a tight escarpment crevasse was a matter of following the written and visual instructions. Those without a keen eye or in too much of a rush would end up searching in the wrong place; and,
• Walk the Line – Just follow the line on the map and find 3 CPs along the way. If at the end of the line you’ve only hit two, start again.

The pace off the start line was extremely fast at the top end and by CP2, just over 20 minutes into the race, only 2m40s separated the top 6 teams with GHO Runners leading the way. Forty minutes later at CP7, the field spread out with GHO Runners opening up a 4 minute lead on the chase pack of Salomon XT Wings, The Urban Athlete, GHO Runners, Foreigners, Axis Gear, and Salomon-Suunto.

Hitting the Lass-O section, many teams moved too quickly, missing a CP along the ‘circle’. Getting back on track frustrated many teams and cost them precious time. The flat landscape required careful navigation as there were few features to clearly orient your map with.
Another part of the race which provided an interesting twist was that a part of the map was a black and white, 3D, satellite photo. While the land was open and slightly rolling with distinct clusters of foliage, teams had to keep a close eye on where they were in relation to the CPs throughout this region.

Circling back toward Rocky Ridge Ranch after negotiating the ‘I.O.U.’ section on the escarpment, teams had a chance to stretch their legs with a long section of trail running before hitting ‘Walk the Line’. Salomon XT Wings and GHO Runners exchanged the lead several times with The Urban Athlete hot on their heels.

The last few CPs in the race were spaced apart by about a kilometre with several route options available between them. It was here that Salomon XT Wings made their move, putting an impressive 4m50s into eventual 2nd place GHO Runners. In so doing, Chris, Liza, and Andrew of Team Salomon XT Wings became the first COED team to ever win a Salomon Adventure Running Series event. Congratulations!

Now that EVENT#1 in a quest to win the entry for this summer’s Saab Salomon Mountain-X Race is complete, teams move their attention to EVENT#2, Axis Gear Storm the Trent on May 10th where 75 SSMXR Points are up for grabs. At EVENT#1, up to 50 SSMXR Points were earned in relation to teams’ finishing times per category. However, at EVENT#2, a special handicap is in play for COED teams, making the race for SSMXR Points very interesting. With a tight cluster of points earned so far, it should be a fierce battle! The top 5 teams after EVENT#1, ranked by SSMXR Points, are:

1. Salomon XT Wings (COED) - 50.00
2. GHO Runners (MALE) - 50.00
3. Foreigners (MALE) - 47.64
4. The Urban Athlete (MALE) - 45.12
5. Axis Gear (COED) - 43.29

A complete listing of official results can be found at www.mxrcanada.ca

Photos: Chris Owen Halper - OdysseyProduction.ca